In March 2020, when India announced a nationwide lockdown to contain COVID-19, Goutam Lal Meena, a mason working in Gujarat, suddenly lost his source of income. Like millions of other migrant workers, he had travelled away from his home in Rajasthan to earn a living. When work stopped and transport services were suspended, he began the journey back on foot. Walking in sandals through the heat, he survived on water and biscuits. “I walked through the day, and I walked through the night. What option did I have? I had little money and almost no food,” he told the BBC in March 2020. His experience was reported in the early days of the lockdown, when workers across India struggled to return home.

Meena's journey was not simply the story of one man caught in an extraordinary emergency. It exposed a deeper contradiction in India's development: the people who construct its cities, sustain its industries and provide essential services can remain among the least protected members of the workforce. Their labour is necessary for economic growth, yet their access to food, housing, healthcare, education and social security is often uncertain.

The lockdown brought this contradiction into public view. However, the central question remains relevant today: why do workers who contribute so much to the country's development continue to struggle to secure their most basic rights?

The Lockdown: When Livelihoods Disappeared

India's internal migration is closely connected to unequal economic opportunities. Workers leave villages in search of better wages, regular employment and a chance to improve their families' living conditions. They move to cities and industrial centres, finding work in construction, textiles, manufacturing, hospitality and domestic services. Many are employed informally, depend on daily wages and lack the security associated with stable employment.

When the lockdown began in March 2020, workplaces closed almost overnight. For workers whose earnings depended on daily attendance, the loss of employment meant an immediate loss of income. Rent, food expenses and family responsibilities, however, did not disappear. With transport suspended, many workers found themselves stranded far from home, unable to sustain themselves in cities where their livelihoods had vanished.

The resulting exodus revealed the human cost of inadequate social protection. Workers travelled on foot, crowded into unsafe vehicles or waited for assistance to reach their villages. Some died from exhaustion or in road accidents. Others returned home to unemployment and debt, having exhausted their savings during the journey.

The crisis also exposed weaknesses in institutional coordination. Workers often depended on employers, contractors, local authorities or charitable organisations for food, shelter and transport. Assistance was uneven, and many struggled to understand where to seek help.

In its judgment of 29 June 2021 in In Re: Problems and Miseries of Migrant Labourers, the Supreme Court of India addressed the hardships faced by migrant workers and directed measures concerning food distribution, ration portability, registration of unorganised workers and other forms of assistance. The proceedings highlighted the importance of ensuring that workers could access essential support even when they were away from their home states.

The lesson of the lockdown was clear: emergency measures are essential, but they cannot compensate fully for the absence of dependable protection during ordinary times.

The Continuing Insecurity Of Migrant Labour

The problems exposed in 2020 did not disappear with the lifting of restrictions. Migrant workers continue to face insecure employment, uncertain wages, inadequate housing and difficulties accessing public services. These conditions are particularly concerning because many workers have limited bargaining power and few financial resources to withstand a sudden loss of income.

A worker employed through an informal arrangement may not receive a written contract specifying wages, working hours, leave or other conditions. If payment is withheld or employment ends unexpectedly, establishing the terms of the agreement can be difficult. Workers who depend on contractors may also hesitate to report exploitation because they fear dismissal or exclusion from future employment.

Recent findings concerning interstate migration in southern India have drawn attention to this problem. A survey associated with UNFPA and the South India Interstate Migration Survey (SIIMS) has been reported to find that more than 86 per cent of surveyed interstate migrant workers lacked signed employment contracts. The finding points to a serious gap between the demand for migrant labour and the formal protection available to workers.

The implications extend beyond documentation. Without clear employment terms and effective enforcement, workers may find it difficult to challenge wage deductions, excessive working hours or unsafe working conditions. The right to employment must therefore include more than the opportunity to earn. It must also include fair treatment, safety and access to remedies when employers violate their obligations.

When The Cost Of Development Is Measured In Lives

The vulnerability of migrant workers is especially visible when workplace safety fails.

According to reports published in October 2026, two migrant workers from Odisha's Ganjam district died after a hydraulic crane reportedly collapsed at a construction site in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, on 16 October. On 18 October, four migrant construction workers died, and six others were seriously injured when an overloaded pickup vehicle crashed into an underpass wall in Sinnar taluka, Nashik district.

These incidents require proper investigation, and responsibility must be established through evidence. Nevertheless, they raise urgent questions about construction-site safety, transport arrangements and the protection available to workers employed far from their families.

For a migrant worker, a serious accident can have consequences far beyond the workplace. A family may lose its principal source of income, children may have to leave school, and dependants may be pushed into debt. Even when compensation is legally available, navigating the process can be difficult for families unfamiliar with the relevant authorities or unable to afford prolonged travel and legal assistance.

The people who build infrastructure should not have to accept preventable dangers as the price of earning a living. Effective inspections, safe transport, appropriate protective equipment, timely wages and accessible compensation procedures are essential components of decent work.

The Rights That Struggle To Travel

The difficulties faced by migrant workers extend beyond employment. Migration can also interrupt access to welfare benefits, education and political participation.

Food security and social protection. A worker may leave a village where the family is registered for subsidised food and move to a city where accessing those benefits becomes more complicated. The One Nation One Ration Card scheme represents an important effort to improve portability for eligible beneficiaries. However, the practical effectiveness of such schemes depends on awareness, administrative accessibility and reliable implementation. A benefit is meaningful only when the person entitled to it can actually obtain it.

Education for migrant children. Children who move with their parents may struggle to maintain continuous schooling. Changes in residence, difficulties transferring school records and irregular family income can interrupt attendance. During the lockdown, school closures and unequal access to digital learning created additional barriers. For families that migrate repeatedly, education can become a series of interruptions rather than a continuous path towards opportunity. Protecting children's right to education therefore requires admission support, transferable records and measures to prevent children from dropping out.

Healthcare and housing. Migrant workers often live in rented rooms or temporary accommodation near workplaces. High housing costs, overcrowding, inadequate sanitation and language barriers can make daily life difficult. Accessing healthcare may also involve lost wages, travel expenses and unfamiliar administrative procedures. When illness or injury occurs, these pressures can deepen a family's financial insecurity.

The right to vote. Many migrant workers remain registered in their home constituencies even when they spend most of the year working elsewhere. Returning home to vote may require travel expenses and several days away from work. For a daily-wage worker, exercising a democratic right can therefore carry a high economic cost. Migrants retain their citizenship and voting rights, but their circumstances can make meaningful participation more difficult.

These examples reveal an important distinction between the formal recognition of rights and the practical ability to exercise them. A legal entitlement does not automatically guarantee access when a person lacks information, documentation, financial resources or institutional support.

Migration, Security And The Risk Of Exclusion

Recent developments also demonstrate the importance of balancing legitimate security concerns with the dignity of migrant workers.

In October 2026, The New Indian Express reported that police in Karnataka's Chikkamagaluru district had introduced a technology-based portal to verify the credentials of incoming seasonal migrant workers, including those arriving from Assam and West Bengal.

Identity verification may serve legitimate administrative and security purposes. However, such measures must be lawful, proportionate and applied without discrimination. Workers should not be treated as suspicious simply because they come from another state, speak a different language or lack familiarity with local institutions.

There is a broader concern here. Authorities may develop systems to identify and verify workers, yet those same workers may struggle to obtain written employment contracts, report wage violations or access social security. Effective governance must address both sides of the issue: protecting communities while ensuring that migrant workers are not exposed to arbitrary treatment or exploitation.

The objective should be to make migration safer and more accountable, not to make vulnerable workers more fearful of seeking employment.

From Temporary Relief To Lasting Reform

Addressing these problems requires a shift from emergency assistance to a system of protection that follows workers throughout their working lives.

First, social security should be portable and accessible across state boundaries. Eligible workers must be able to obtain food assistance and other welfare benefits without unnecessary administrative obstacles.

Second, employment conditions must be documented and enforced. Workers should receive clear written terms, timely wages and information about their rights in languages they understand. Employers and contractors must be held accountable for violations.

Third, workplace safety must be treated as a fundamental obligation. Regular inspections, safe transport arrangements, appropriate protective equipment and effective compensation mechanisms can reduce preventable harm and provide support when accidents occur.

Fourth, migrant children's education must remain continuous. Education departments should facilitate admission and record transfers, identify children who have dropped out and provide appropriate support to help them return to school.

Finally, migrant workers must have accessible ways to participate in decisions that affect their lives. Trade unions, civil society organisations and government agencies should provide effective grievance mechanisms, while urban planning should account for the need for affordable housing, healthcare, sanitation and childcare.

These measures require cooperation between the Union government, state governments, local authorities and employers. Since migration crosses administrative boundaries, protection must extend across them as well.

The People Behind The Skyline

Goutam Lal Meena's journey home during the 2020 lockdown captured a crisis that was larger than one worker's hardship. It revealed the insecurity of people whose labour sustains urban life but whose access to basic protection can disappear when employment stops.

The subsequent years have brought policy responses and efforts to improve welfare portability. Yet reports of insecure employment, workplace accidents and continuing barriers to essential services show why the issue demands sustained attention. The objective should not be to portray every migrant worker as helpless, but to recognise the structural disadvantages that can prevent workers from exercising their rights.

Migration is an important part of India's economic development. It enables workers to seek opportunities, supports industries and connects regions with unequal levels of employment. But economic mobility should not come at the cost of social security, educational opportunity or human dignity.

A worker should not have to choose between earning a livelihood and accessing essential benefits. A child should not lose educational opportunities because a parent must move for work. A family should not be left without adequate protection when its principal earner suffers an accident.

The true measure of a developed city is not merely the height of its buildings, but the dignity and security of the people who build them. India's progress will be meaningful only when migrant workers are recognised not simply as a source of labour, but as citizens whose rights deserve protection wherever they live and work.

References:

1. Biswas, Soutik. “Coronavirus: India’s Pandemic Lockdown Turns into a Human Tragedy.” BBC News, March 30, 2020. https://bbc.com.im/news/world-asia-india-52086274⁠.
2. Supreme Court of India. In Re: Problems and Miseries of Migrant Labourers. Suo Motu Writ Petition (Civil) No. 6 of 2020. Judgment, June 29, 2021. https://indiankanoon.org/doc/139315795/⁠.
3. Pandit, Ambika. “UNFPA Report: Migrant Workers Cite Livelihood Insecurity, Low Wages, Poverty and Debt as Reasons for Moving Out for Better Life.” The Times of India, September 29, 2026. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
4. Mohanty, Hrusikesh. “2 Migrant Workers Die in Guntur.” The Times of India, October 16, 2026. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
5. “Four Migrant Workers Killed, Six Injured as Pickup Crashes into Sinnar Underpass, Overturns.” The Times of India, October 18, 2026. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
6. “Karnataka: Portal by Chikkamagaluru Police Checks Credentials of Illegal Migrant Workers.” The New Indian Express, October 19, 2026. https://www.newindianexpress.com

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